An Israeli airstrike killed Samir Abu Younis, commander of Hamas’s Rafah Brigade, in southern Gaza shortly after midnight on Sunday, November 15, Hamas and Israeli authorities said. Abu Younis, also known as Abu Mahmoud, had assumed the post two months earlier after Israel killed the brigade’s previous commander.
The strike targeted Abu Younis as he walked along a street in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis. Several other people were reportedly wounded. The Israel Defense Forces said it used precision weapons and aerial surveillance as part of measures intended to reduce harm to civilians.
Hamas’s military wing announced his death, which was also confirmed by the IDF and the Shin Bet security agency. Although Israeli forces control all of Rafah, Hamas continues to name commanders for its brigade there and operates from the nearby Khan Younis area.
Abu Younis succeeded Nael Abu Obeid, who was killed by Israel on September 15. Abu Obeid had himself replaced Muhammad Shabana, making him the brigade’s second commander during the war. Shabana was killed on May 13, 2025, in an Israeli strike on a hospital that also killed Hamas leader Mohammad Sinwar.
In its statement, Hamas described Abu Younis as a veteran of its Al-Qassam Brigades who joined the military wing in 1991 and advanced through its ranks. The group said he was among the principal commanders responsible for planning and overseeing the October 7, 2023 attack.
The IDF and Shin Bet said his earlier roles included deputy commander of the Rafah Brigade and commander of the Tel Sultan Battalion. The military accused him of directing attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers, and said he had worked to rebuild the brigade’s strength and that of Hamas more broadly.
His killing followed an Israeli strike on Thursday at the Nasser Hospital complex in Khan Younis. That operation targeted Muhammad Abu Ismail, commander of Hamas’s Khan Younis Brigade. Neither Hamas nor the IDF had confirmed whether Abu Ismail was killed.
Israel has stepped up strikes against operatives in Gaza in recent months, including people involved in the October 7 assault, saying they threatened Israeli troops. According to the military, many recent targets were Hamas members working to rebuild the group’s forces and its mechanisms for civilian control in the territory.
Meanwhile, implementation of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan remains stalled. Hamas has refused to disarm, while Israel has refused to withdraw from any part of Gaza until the group does so.
